Could it be that I am misunderstanding God?
The first step toward becoming intimate with the unfamiliar and difficult God of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament repeatedly and in various tones tells us that God has a deep relationship with us.
It expresses the full range of human emotions, from sadness to joy, from uncontrollable anger to heart-wrenching gratitude.
We too can pour out our hearts to God without hiding anything, like the psalmist and Job.
You can have a deep and intimate relationship with God and remain in that relationship.
This book delves into how to become intimate with God, what it costs, what it looks and feels like, and why you should even attempt it in the first place.

The author, Ellen Davis, is a professor of Old Testament studies and is renowned for her Hebrew translations.
Dense academic knowledge and vivid Hebrew translations teach us how to read the Old Testament with spiritual engagement.
Through reflections on the Psalms, Job, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the stories of Abraham and Moses in the historical books, the author guides us toward a richer relationship with God.

The richness of the Old Testament is perceived only by those who move slowly, like mushroom pickers.
They approach a place that appears to be empty and examine it closely.
And then it asks a question.
“Why does the Bible speak this way and not the way we expect?”
This book is a friendly and in-depth guide to the Old Testament.
If you slowly reread the Old Testament with this book, God's sincerity, which had seemed unfamiliar and difficult, will blow like a gentle breeze and seep into your heart.

Yes, I am saying that Christians should pray with rather aggressive psalms that pour out God's wrath on the enemy.
No, rather, we need to know that these psalms exist, that they are suitable for Christian prayer, and that they are sometimes necessary.
But like many good tools, it must be used responsibly.
Otherwise, it can be dangerous to ourselves and others.

--- From "That's ridiculous!"

If the Song of Solomon ultimately had nothing to do with the story of God and Israel, then we would never find a scene in the Bible where one person says, “I love you,” and the other person immediately responds, “Yes, I love you too.”
Because only in the Song of Solomon does love dialogue appear.
(…) And if this unique dialogue between God and Israel is nothing more than the imagination of the ancient rabbis, then we must accept the sad fact that the Bible is filled with an insoluble cosmic loneliness.

--- From "The One My Soul Loves"

It is often said that the message of Ecclesiastes can be summed up in "carpe diem," or "seize the day."
But that's not the truth.
The key verb in Ecclesiastes is not 'seize' ('carpe diem' is translated into English as 'seize the day'? Translator's note) but 'give'.
The word appears twenty-eight times in twelve chapters.
And the one who gives most of it is God.
So, the core message of Ecclesiastes is 'Accept the gift.'
By recognizing God's gifts in the joys we enjoy each day, we practice the important religious virtue of humility.

--- From "A Simple Gift"

I've found that my students love Proverbs for the very reasons I like to trivialize them.
The reason is that proverbs are too ordinary.
This book is for ordinary people who want to live wisely and faithfully in their undramatic daily lives, on days when water doesn't come from a rock or angels don't come for lunch.

--- From "Wise Ignorance"

The reason we don't often refer to the book of Job when we're going through tough times is because we don't know how to read it to help our souls.
(…) The point of the Book of Job is not God’s justice, but human suffering.
It is a book about how Job endured it, how he suffered because of it, how he wrestled fiercely with God in the midst of it, and how he ultimately overcame the suffering, or rather, how he was transformed through the suffering.

--- From "The Wisdom of the Suffering"

The beauty of God is not reserved only for great saints, recognized mystics, and religious geniuses who speak in poetry.
Even the most eloquent and ordinary believers can and need to experience this joy with God.
The reason is simple.
Because we were created to enjoy just such pleasures.
(…) Enjoying God is as much a human characteristic as walking upright is a human characteristic, no different from enjoying the sunshine or the wisteria.
But just as we must slow down to see the maple tree and the sunlight, we must slow down to see God.

--- From "Blind in Love"